Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Welcome one and all to this work in (Hopefully) a series.

Me and a friend will work together on a series of logs for an AU

I hope you enjoy

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> Begin Transmission

Chapter Text

hello? are yoU there? fantastic! the connection mUst be working. let oUr game, begin!

gutsyGumshoe [GG] began pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]
GG: Hello?
GG: Roxy are you there?
tipsyGnostalgic [TG] is an idle chum!
GG: Hm.
GG: I suppose I will have to take something out of Mr. Strider's metaphorical book and keep typing.
GG: It has been a long day
GG: 24 whole hours of long day in fact!
GG: School was itself.
GG: Had the problems that come with it
tipsyGnostalgic [TG] is an idle chum!
GG: I suppose so did you! Hoo hoo hoo!
GG: ...
GG: But the truth is, I am lonely.
GG: It's always nice to talk to you even when you are more or less incapacitated.
tipsyGnostalgic [TG] is an idle chum!
GG: I don't know how you get away with it!
GG: No matter.
GG: It was nice not talking to you
tipsyGnostalgic [TG] is no longer an idle chum!
GG: Goodnight.
gutsyGumshoe [GG] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]
TG: wait jane
gutsyGumshoe [GG] Is an idle chum!
TG:
TG: le sign
tipsyGnostalgic [TG] ceased pestering gutsyGumshoe [GG]

Chapter Text

and what a most intrigUing game we're playing here, no? as gaps in yoUr memory are filled, i may lose those in mine. but don't fret, i have long accepted this. ^u^

You are Roxy. As was definitely mentioned at some point, you are standing on the railway to your observatory on the Land of Pyramids and Neon. Now that we're on the same page, what is it you're doing?

You're not entirely sure of that, honestly. A liquor bottle rests in the edge of your grip. You've been considering dropping it for a few minutes now.

And, of course, minutes turned to hours. And you haven't made a decision about that *damn liquor*. You want to drop it. You want to let it be something you can forget. And you have others. If you decide this was a mistake, you can just turn back!

Jane would probably tell you that you're held up by your anxieties. You wouldn't disagree.

But you also know that she'd care. In her own way.

You like to think so at least. She was supposed to come by at some point. You hope she remembered.

(Part of you hopes she didn't.)

Eventually, you sigh and break the top off of the bottle, taking a long, thoughtful swig. You'd need the courage for this one.

But you just fucking sit there, legs dangling over the edge of the walkway. If you were someone else, you would've finished this by now. If you were someone else, you wouldn't be in this situation.

You sit, until you see some sort of movement in the distance. You recognize her instantly. And after a few moments, you remember how to speak, that fake as hell smile coming back to you.

You down the rest of the bottle before clearing your throat.

ROXY: HEY! JANEY! UP HERE!

She looks up at you for a second before quickening her pace. Not long after, you hear a door open behind you.

JANE: Sorry I'm late! I got held up.

It's the vagaries that keep you there. If neither of you mention what's really going on, it won't be real for a while. She sits down next to you, looking at the bottle in your hands.

JANE: I thought you said you were quitting?
ROXY: yeah, well.

You sigh.

ROXY: what i say and what i do
ROXY: v different things janey
ROXY: you would know best

You think for a moment, staring at her intently. There's something off. You can't tell what.

ROXY: was tyrin to drop this damn bottle
ROXY: *tryin
JANE: And here you are instead.
JANE: Here, give it to me.

You hand her the empty bottle. She chuckles, giving you that grin of hers.

JANE: Ten boonbucks says I can get it over that hill.
ROXY: you won't.

She doesn't. She throws the bottle well, but it smashes against the side of the hill.

JANE: I guess not! :B

You're not sure how that made you feel. It feels like a step in the right direction, but it was a step *she* took. Not you.

It was a step she took for you, though.

And the bottle wasn't even full. You made sure of that.

ROXY: thanks jane
ROXY: 'ppreciate it.

The world is complicated. You feel complicated. You haven't made any progress, you don't think.

You lay down, resting your head on Jane's lap. You're not sure how much of what you want is real, but you know this time *she* is. You'll be fine as long as she is. You can make it through this if she does. You have to.

ROXY: ur the best
JANE: ...
JANE: That's subjective, Ro-Lal.

If neither of you mention the situation, it's not real. You pretend to ignore the fact you can all but see the gears turning in her head. She pretends to ignore that you were speaking in pleasantries. It would work. You could work.

But oh, what a fool you were.

Chapter Text

I bet yoU are wondering why I am paying sUch attention to these two lovely ladies. well sad to say I cannot tell yoU now, for that woUld spoil the sUrprise!

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering gutsyGumshoe [GG]
TG: janey
TG: jaaaaaaaaaaneeeeeeey
TG: jaaaaaaasaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaaaaafaneeeeeeereeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy
TG: woaw that was a lpongun
TG: *longun
GG: Hello Roxy.
GG: Whatever is the occasion?
TG: janey
TG: 2day is tha day
TG: june mothafucken uno-st
TG: actually that soundss wired nvm
TG: *weird lmao
GG: And that means what exactly?
TG: pride
TG: fuckin
TG: month
GG: Ah yes the month where everyone dives into their favorite of the seven deudly sins.
TG: jaaaaane
TG: stop teasiiiiinnnngggg
GG: Hoo!
GG: Alright dear.
GG: Happy pride beloved. <3
TG: :O
TG: <3 <# <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
TG: luv u 2 girl

Chapter Text

the pendUlUm of time is ever erratic, it seems. thoUgh, i sUppose that is not entirely within oUr control!

JANE: Don't eat that, dear.

You watch as Roxy slowly takes her hand out of a bowl of cake batter.

ROXY: i'm just taste testin
ROXY: ain't that what ur supposed to do?
JANE: Not when raw eggs are involved!
ROXY: we didn't have those in the future how was i supposed to know

You sigh, and open the oven to put the cake in.

JANE: I told you this would be something you wouldn't like.
JANE: And what do we find?
JANE: You don't like it.
ROXY: ofc i do!!!

Roxy motions defensively to the oven. You have no idea what she's trying to accomplish, but you chuckle fondly nonetheless.

ROXY: look i did all sorts of shit here like
ROXY: preheating the oven
ROXY: i cracked one egg
JANE: You dropped the egg on the floor, cracking it.
ROXY: shh we scooped it up
ROXY: the diseases and stuff will be backed out
ROXY: *baked
JANE: You're a lost cause.

She hesitates, almost without you noticing. You close the oven back before crouching down to watch the cake rise. Eventually, she leans down to join you, head resting on yours.

JANE: Just in this, though. I'm sure you hacking the New Pentagon is going great, and I'm sure I'd be terrible at doing so.
ROXY: i'm not hacking the new pentagon!
ROXY: not yet at least!
JANE: And I'm confident that it'll go great when you do. Just... use a pseudonym, at least.
ROXY: what do you take me for, a dumbass?
JANE: Hoo! Fair enough.

You settle into a comfortable silence. It hits you again that you always expected meeting Roxy to be a lot... louder. You'd always have something to talk about.

You think you prefer this, though. You were never able to handle silence; the whirrings of your Tiaratop had always seemed louder the quieter it got.

You think you handle it fine when it's with her, though.

ROXY: jane
ROXY: janey
ROXY: love of my life
ROXY: woman i swore my vows to
ROXY: can i be honest with you?
JANE: Just this once, in our year of marriage?
JANE: I figured we'd passed that point a while ago.

Roxy shakes her head, laughing quietly. You laugh with her. It's a reflex by now.

ROXY: i wasnt a fan of this
ROXY: never have been!
ROXY: i just like spending time with you

She grins, taking the still raw cake out of the oven, grabbing a fistful of cake that is definitely too hot to hold, and biting into it.

ROXY: i dont think thats grounds for divorce right
JANE: No, but the cake thing is. Put that back.
ROXY: nahhh
ROXY: you should try it its only like... barely inedible

Roxy holds another fistful of raw cake in front of you. You sigh and take a bite out of it.

You almost immediately recoil. It doesn't even taste like raw cake. You're pretty sure you'll get a disease or something from this.

JANE: That was terrible.

You stand up and switch the oven off.

JANE: Want to take this and tell Jake and Dirk it's cooked?
ROXY: hell fucking yes

Chapter Text

and here we swing the other way! how cUrioUs. or that is what i woUld say, if i hadn't seen it all before.

Your name is ROXY LALONDE, and today, is your 'Thweet Thirteenth'! Oh wait, before you get to the festivities you have planned, it seems you have a message.

gutsyGumshoe [GG] began pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG]
GG: Roxy?
GG: It is quite late for me but I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday!
GG: Reply on your own time
GG: I know you'll like my gift! :B

Now this is a dilemma. It is approximately ass o clock in the morning. You know this. You know Jane knows this as well. But also you very much want to reply. But you proba- wait what

TG: janey!!!!!!
TG: goot mornigng!!!

uh oh

GG: Roxy?
GG: Isn't it 3 in the morning for you?
GG: Timezones I swear.
TG: no ur right
TG: im just happy to see you!
GG: Well, I'm flattered but you should really be asleep!
TG: so should u lmso
TG: *lmao
GG: Ah, but you see detective, I had planned on going to sleep as soon as the 4th message was sent
TG: :O
TG: >:)
TG: but mrs wizzlesmarts
TG: you are still awakr!
TG: if you REALLY wanted mw to sleep
TG: wouldnyt you hvae gone 2 sleep urslef??????
GG: Gasp.
GG: Detective I swear I meant nothing of the sort!
GG: I simply wished to inform the defendant of her crime!
TG: 2 the slmamer with this one!
GG: That's what you think!
GG: With my anti-slammer spell aura you cannot lock me away!
TG: le gasp!!!!
TG: truly she is cunning
TG: but we have our own wizards!!!!!!
TG: [frigglish.jpeg]
GG: Huh!??! The mighty Frigglish?!
GG: No please have mercy!
TG: SLAM!
TG: (your in the slmaer now)
TG: ROFLMAO
GG: Hoo hoo!
GG: I ought to go to sleep now, but have a great day oh mighty wizard.
TG: gn!!!!!

Well, that went well.

Chapter Text

tick, tock. time was never my forte. bUt here, where we're jUst observers, sUch a thing is trivial!

You are now Jane. At three in the morning. On Earth C. You have received a message (and a rock at the window) from your beloved BFFsy, Roxy Lalonde.

You, of course, noticed the rock first. Which made the text even more ironic.

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering gutsyGumshoe [GG]!
TG: hey you might wanna step away from ur window lmao
GG: Do I even want to know why you broke my window?
TG: wellll
TG: i *figured* that it would be the best way to get your attention if u were asleep
TG: which... you very clearly arent! so it worked!
GG: Roxy, I was already awake. That was unnecessary.
TG: lmao
TG: just get ur ass outside i wanna hang out w u

You sigh, throw on a coat, and head downstairs to go meet her. Hopefully she won't throw another rock before then.

And, just as suspected, you open the door to find her, pebble in hand, poised to throw it through another window. You clear your throat, and she looks over at you with a grin that makes you forget you're trying to be mildly annoyed.

ROXY: that was quick lmao
JANE: I didn't want to risk it.
ROXY: that's fair

Roxy motions for you to follow her. You do, only half certain you aren't about to be murdered by your best friend. That, or she's found another cat.

She makes a bit of small talk on the way. You can tell she's not really feeling it.

ROXY: so
ROXY: crockercorp still six feet under?
JANE: More or less. Been trying to move on.
ROXY: cool cool
JANE: Are you going to tell me what this is about?
ROXY: if i do ill chicken out

You decide not to ask what that means. You get the feeling you'll understand at some point anyway.

Around the point that Roxy assures you is "around halfway", her hand grabs yours. She doesn't mention it, and neither do you. You've held hands before, after all. Instead, you note how it was around wintertime, and Roxy wasn't even wearing a damn coat. You consider giving her yours, but don't.

You're not sure how long it takes. Maybe an hour. You weren't checking. But eventually, Roxy sits down (in an inch of snow, of all damn places!) and gives you that same grin again. It seems more nervous than it was the first time.

You sigh again, but sit down next to her. Over the horizon, you can see the first flickers of light starting to show. That is to say, you can now see more than five feet in front of you.

And you're now pretty sure that Roxy just brought you outside of her house. God damn it.

JANE: So?
ROXY: so?
JANE: You're going to tell me what the deal is, right?
ROXY: oh
ROXY: right

For the first time all night, you definitely think you see her confidence falter.

ROXY: so this is stupid and thats kinda why i didnt tell you but
ROXY: i always wanted to watch the sunrise with someone
ROXY: someone who wasn't a carapacian and wasn't dead
ROXY: so i figured why not we're all here aren't we i can finally do that
ROXY: and you're all HELLS of important to me so i kind of brought you here
ROXY: and so
ROXY: you know
ROXY: here we are
ROXY: and sorry if that's not cool i just-

You cut her off by leaning against her shoulder. She pauses, before wrapping an arm around you. You can tell the vibe of this situation shifted a bit, but stay quiet for another moment.

JANE: You... could've told me. I wouldn't have said no.
JANE: Really, breaking a window and dragging me here was probably harder than THAT would've been.
ROXY: yeah well
ROXY: hindsight's 20/20

You laugh louder than you mean to at that. This wasn't exactly familiar, but it wasn't strange either. It felt like a natural next step for the two of you. A new beginning that you were willing to deal with.

By the time the sun actually rose, Roxy was asleep, most of her weight resting on you. You stand up and carry her into her house (you keep telling her to lock her doors before she leaves, and are starting to think she doesn't just to mess with you).

You'll have to do this again sometime.

Chapter Text

WELL. WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?
oh hello brother. it's good to see yoU.
LETS SEE WHERE THIS GOES SHALL WE?
i sUppose! thoUgh this is a rather sad one.

Blood. Blood everywhere.
You fly at speeds you did not know were possible but that doesn't matter.
You have to go faster if you want to save her.
The tower keeps crumbling and you know there is a timer.
She doesn't even see it's shadow.
Resisting the control burns at your veins but you must keep going you can't stop oh god you can't stop.

JANE?: Roxy!
ROXY: huh
JANE?: Roxy get out of the way!
ROXY: janey????????

You tackle her out of the way of the falling beams but the abrupt stop leaves you spinning and as the control reasserts itself you can't move as the architecture-

oh.

Your name is Roxy Lalonde and your best friend and love of your life just died in front of your eyes.

Time itself seems to slow around you as you watch the rubble drag her corpse down.

ROXY:

You have nothing to say. Nothing that you wish you hadn't said sooner

You have nothing.

You ignore the carnage going on around you as you float down, you think that was Jakes not-son that just died but that doesn't even matter at this point.

You cradle her body and weep for what could have been.

You hear the clock tick HEROIC as you knew it would.

And when life is gone it all fades into the void.

ROXY: i love you

Chapter Text

well this is wonderfUl! you don't see this often do yoU?

genericConfection [GC] Began pestering authenticTrenchcoat [AT]
GC: hey mister!
GC: oh right.
GC: whatevs.
AT: WhaT
AT: OH It'S YoU
GC: it's me. :)
AT: WhaT DO YoU WanT
GC: just wanted to say happy wriggling day!
GC: i know you don't have any other friends so i'm saying hello!
AT: I HavE OThER FRIeNDS ThaN YoU!
AT: FucK YoU
GC: ok ok just joshin ya.
AT: FinE
AT:
AT: thANks fOr tHe birTHday wISh
GC: no prob bob.
GC: also i thought it was wriggling day?
GC: you're so accommodating <3<
AT: ShuT UP
AT:
AT: <3<